Pastry shell filling apparatus

ABSTRACT

There is provided apparatus for applying a grated foodstuff, e.g., cheese from brick cheese bodies, characterized by a movable holder for gravity or forced feeding of the foodstuff and a stationary grate.

United States Patent 1111 3,883,079

Papai May 13, 1975 [54] PASTRY SHELL FILLING APPARATUS 2,088,298 7/1937Cove 83/622 X 2,583,595 l/l952 Rode] et a]. 241/94 X Inventor: PaPal,2818 5% 2,604,915 7/1952 Beavers 241/94 x Cleveland, Ohio 44120 [22]Flled: 1973 Primary Examiner-Roy Lake [21] App]. No.: 402,475 AssistantExaminer-E. F. Desmond Related Us. Application Data gnome ,gendt, 0rFirm-McNenny, Farrington, [62] Division of $61. No. 250,933, May 8,1972. Pat. No. came or 52 US. Cl 241/94; 241/273.1 [57] ABSTRACT [51]Int. Cl. A47j 44/00; B02C 18/02 Field of Search 94, 95, i There isprovided apparatus for applying a grated 83/622 foodstuff, e.g., cheesefrom brick cheese bodies, characterized by a movable holder for gravityor forced References Clled feeding of the foodstuff and a stationarygrate.

4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEI] HAY I 31975 SHEET 18F 4 0v b 0 o gww m w. -UOO OOOOO PATENTEDHAY 1 31975 $888,079

sum 3 a? 4 PASTRY SHELL FILLING APPARATUS RELATED APPLICATION Thisapplication is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 250,933filed May 8, 1972, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,643 dated Dec. 25, 1973.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART The present invention relatesto equipment for filling pastry shells, and more particularly pizzashells, with foodstuffs from successive stations, e.g., tomato paste,grated cheese, and sausage meat. Various proposals have from time totime been made for machines adapted to fill pastry shells automaticallyand in replacement of some operations formerly done by hand. In themanufacture of pizzas, for example, many of the filling operations arestill done by hand. Production rate and uniformity of the product mayboth be improved where such operations are performed mechanically.

Previous machines have performed operations such as making and prebakingpastry shells, for example as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,392,687 and3,379,141. The present equipment may be utilized in conjunction withautomatic machinery for making and prebaking pastry shells. Varioussuggestions for dispensing foodstuffs have been made, representativeexamples being U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,963 for dispensing sausage and U.S.Pat. No. 3,136,268 for dispensing several foodstuff items in sequencefor filling pies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention may be better understoodby having reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic and diagrammatic side elevation of a pastry shellfilling machine in accordance with this invention and showing anindexing conveyor belt and separate stations for sequentially applyingto a shell individual filling ingredients.

FIG. 2 is a schematic and diagrammatic front elevation of a station forapplying a paste-like ingredient to pastry shells characterized by apump and a distributing head in material-applying relation to anindexing conveyor.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a nondrip paste-distributing head in accordanceherewith.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the distributing head as shown inFIG. 3 as it appears in the plane indicated by the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is cross-sectional view of a single-acting pump suitable forpumping a measured quantity of paste material from a supply source (notshown) through a distributing head such as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 is a schematic and diagrammatic partially cutaway cross-sectionalview of a station for applying a grated ingredient to pastry goodscharacterized by a movable gratable material holder and a stationarygrater in material-applying relation to an indexing conveyor.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view, partially cut away, of the station shown inFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a schematic and diagrammatic partially cutaway cross-sectionalview of a station for applying a sliced meat product to pastry goodscharacterized by a movable rotating knife and chute assembly and astationary meat product holder in material-applying relation to anindexing conveyor.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view, partially cut away, of the station shown inFIG. 8.

BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION Briefly stated, the present inventionis in an apparatus for filling pastry shells, and particularly pizzashells, and in the individual means for dispensing foodstuff material.The entire apparatus for topping pizza shells is characterized by pastryshell-supporting means and a plurality of relatively movablefoodstuff-applying stations, e.g., tomato sauce, grated cheese, andsliced pepperoni. Each of these stations includes applying means for theassociated ingredient. The apparatus also includes means forintermittently relatively moving the shell-supporting means and 'theingredient-applying means such that each shell is sequentially exposedto each applying station in a programmed manner. The initial paste ofsauce-applying means, e.g., means for applying tomato sauce for pizzashells, comprises a dispensing head formed as a horizontally disposedshallow cylindrical chamber having a central inlet feed passage, a pumpadjacent the central feed passage, and means for supplying dispensiblepaste foodstuff material to such pump, said dispensing head having aplurality of orifices, said orifices being progressively larger in sizeas their radial distance from the center of the dispensing headincreases. The axial length of the orifice is so related to thehydrostatic head of paste material above the orifice and within thedispensing head that liquid forces within the spout bores preventdripping of the paste material therefrom after expulsion of a charge ofpredetermined size.

A subsequent station, e.g., a grated cheese applying station, ischaracterized by a grate member and a relatively movable housing forcarrying a gratable foodstuff. Means are provided for relatively movingthe housing and the grate. In more specific embodiments, means areprovided for imposing a bias between the grate and the lower portion ofthe gratable materialsupporting housing whereby as the housing advancesrelative to the grate member, the trailing edge of the grate iseffectively elevated with respect to the bottom of the housing member.This improves the grating action. Means may also be provided forcleaning the cusps of the grating device.

A sliced sausage dispenser comprises a holder and, relatively movablewith respect thereto, a rotating knife together with chute means forcontrolling the distribution of sausage slices. 9

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic andschematic side elevation of an embodiment of the present invention inthe form of a pizza topping apparatus for filling pizza shells withfoodstuffs. It comprises an indexing conveyor and a plurality offoodstuff-applying stations at predetermined locations. In theillustrated embodiment, there are provided a tomato paste-applyingstation, a grated cheese-applying station, and finally a slicedpepperoniapplying station. The means for positioning the pizza shellsonto the conveyor form no part of the present invention. This operationmay be performed by hand with the aid of an adjustable shell locator orby automatic machinery. Also, the operation of removal of the filledshells from the machine forms no part of this invention and may be doneby hand or by machinery. Although three foodstuff-applying stations areshown and described herein, it will be understood that additionalfoodstuff-applying stations may be introduced as well as additionaloperations, e.g., pastry shell-loading means, additionalfoodstuff-applying means, baking means, packaging means, freezing means,etc.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, there is here shown aroller-supported indexing conveyor belt carried on a frame 11 FIG. 2)adapted for programmed intermittent movement from left to right, andhaving an adjustable pastry shell indexing form or locator 12 mounted onthe conveyor frame 11 for locating pizza shells of a range of sizes onthe conveyor belt when at rest. The mechanism of the conveyor itself maybe any known structure including a head pulley l3 and a tail pulley 15and intermediate supporting rollers 17, all mounted on the frame 11 andhaving means for moving it a predetermined distance, e.g., 16 inches,and then arresting its movement during a given filling operation.Accordingly, the programming means and the circuitry for indexing willnot be described in detail. The conveyor 10 may be a linear, endless,flexible belt as depicted in FIG. 1, or it may be circular wherein theshells move in a horizontally disposed circular path.

The first station encountered by partially baked pizza shells carried atregularly spaced intervals on the belt '10 is a tomato paste fillingstation generally indicated at 14. The station 14 includes a nondripdispensing head 16 (more fully described below with reference to FIGS.2, 3, and 4) stationarily superposed above the conveyor 10 and supportedfrom the underside of a storage vessel 18 containing a supply of tomatopaste 20..The diameter of the dispensing head 16 will depend upon thediameter of the shell being filled and may, therefore, vary toaccommodate the currently commercial range of from 6 to 14 inches. Apump 22 more fully detailed in FIG. 5 is provided for transferring pastefrom vessel 18 to dispensing head 16, through a coupler 24. Thedispensing head 16 is removable for cleaning and for replacement with ahead of different diameter as may be required by the diameter of theshell being filled. Immediately following the application of a pastelikematerial, it has been found desirable to provide means for evenlyspreading the paste over the surface of the pastry shell. To this endthere may be provided an air curtain 26 which is conveniently formed ofa conduit 28 for pressurized air having an elongated slit 30 (ororifices) along its bottom side for directing an air curtain downwardlyand through which the pastefilled shell must pass. A blast of air isdirected toward the surface of sufficient force to spread the pasteshould it be piled in the regions just opposite the dispensing nozzle ornipples, but of insufficient force to cause splattering or removal fromthe shell. The correct air blast is experimentally determined andmanually set for each run as it will vary with the paste used.

The second station encountered by the partially baked pizza shells isgenerally indicated at 31 and is adapted to dispense to the exposedsurface of a located conveyor-supported shell a grated foodstuff, e.g.,grated cheese. In the preferred embodiment diagrammatically shown inFIG. 1, the second station 31 includes a stationary cheese grater 32having a plurality of cusps 34 projecting upwardly therefrom in themanner of known cheese grating devices. The cheese grater is removablysupported on a stationary member 36 which also supports in dependingmanner therefrom a funnel form chute 38, the lower marginal edge 40 ofwhich is configured for deposition of grated material onto a pastryshell, such as a circular pizza shell. A 5 brick cheese holder 42 ismounted on laterally disposed slide blocks, e.g., slide block 44, formovement relative to the cheese grater 32 along guide bars, e.g., guidebar 46, which are in turn supported by the frame 11 as by a support post33. As will be described in greater detail 10 with reference to FIGS. 6and 7, relative movement of the cheese grater and the holder 42 may beeffected pneumatically.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the partially filled pastry shellslocated on the conveyor 10 are then indexed to the next station 51which, in the embodiment shown, is for the purpose of applying slicedsausage meat, e.g., pepperoni. The apparatus for this purpose comprisesin relatively movable relationship a rotatable knife 48 driven by amotor 50, and a sausage holder and guide 52. A holder plate 54 isprovided in leading relation to the knife so that as relative movementbetween the two parts, e.g., the holder 52 and the knife 48, occurs, theplate 54 exposes a section of the sausage to the rotating knife 48 uponmovement in the cutting direction and is returned to a holding positionon relative retraction of the knife 48, thereby preventing the sausageswithin the holder 52 from dropping through. The specific apparatus isbetter shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 and will be described in detail later.

Relative movement of the cheese holder 42 and the grate 32 and relativemovement of the sausage holder 52 and the knife 48 is convenientlyeffected by means of pneumatic piston/cylinder extensible arm assemblieshaving one end secured to the frame 11 and the other operativelycontacting the element to be moved. Because of the normal very rapidresponse of pneumatic cylinders, shock absorbing means or dash pots maybe used. The installation of such means is conventional and readilyperceived by those skilled in the art. Although penumatic means arepreferred, hydraulic, electrical, or mechanical means for effectingrelative movements as above indicated and for indexing movement of theconveyor belt 10 may be used as will be apparent to those skilled in theart of machine movements and design.

In operation, then, in the production of filled pizzas, partially bakedpizza shells are manually disposed on indexing conveyor 10 using locator12. The located shell is then indexed to a predetermined position underthe tomato paste-dispensing head 16. In response to pneumatic or otherprogramming means sensitive to the location of a partially baked shellin paste-receiving position beneath the dispensing head 16, a measuredcharge of tomato paste is forcibly expressed through the dispensing head16 onto the surface of the pastry shell. Because of the viscosity ofsome paste materials and their relative inability to flow, it may befound desirable to provide spreading means such as an air curtain device26 which projects a blast of air onto the paste-filled surface to levelthe dispensed paste as the filled shell moves along the conveyor 10 tothe next indexing point, e.g., the grated cheese applying station.

When the shell has arrived at this station, and in pneumaticallycontrolled response to its location in grated cheese receiving positionthereunder, the pneumatic motivating means for moving the cheese housing42 across the stationary cheese grater 32 is actuated.

tion for application of sliced sausage meat.

As briefly indicated above, the sausage holder 52 is then pneumaticallyactuated to move relatively to the motor driven rotating knife 48 tosuccessively slice from a plurality of vertically suported sausagesdisposed in a predetermined pattern within the holder 52 for dispositionupon the surface of the partially filled shell. Upon completion of thesausage slicing cycle, the conveyor is again pneumatically actuated toindex the sequence of shells to a point where the sausagefilled pizzashell may be removed either manually or automatically from the end ofthe conveyor 10 for such further operation as may be desired. Inpractice, the shells are wrapped and frozen and stored for subsequentuse.

Having described a general arrangement of a pizza shell filling machinein accordance with the present invention, it becomes convenient at thispoint to describe in greater detail specific embodiments of the separatefilling stations contemplated hereby.

THE PASTE APPLYING STATION FIG. 2 is a schematic and diagrammatic frontelevation of a station for applying a predetermined amount of apaste-like ingredient to pastry shells and characterized by anadjustable charge distributing pump apparatus 22 (details of anembodiment of which are more fully shown in FIG. 5) and a distributinghead 16 shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 4. The pump 22 isconveniently fabricated of Plexiglass or other suitable material, e.g.,stainless steel, and is provided at its distal extremity with a covermember 56 including an upstanding graded U-shaped guard member 58 andincluding graduations 60 representative of different diameter pastryshells to be filled. As will be more clearly pointed out with referenceto FIG. 5, an adjustable threaded shaft 62 coacting with the cover 56and carrying indexing member 64 at its distal extremity enablesadjustment of the stroke of the pump and hence the volume of paste-likematerial discharged thereby. As previously indicated, the paste chargeis carried in a storage vessel 18 suitably supported in surroundingrelation to the pump 22 which is immersed in the paste material. Thestorage vessel rests upon platform 66 suitably secured to supportingside rails 68 and 70 which are in turn carried by the frame 11 of theconveyor structure and suitably spaced therefrom to allow passage of thepartially baked pastry shells thereunder. The pump 22 contained withinthe storage vessel 18 is secured to the platform 66 by means of a flange72 and flange bolts 74.

A conduit 76 extends through the platform 66 for passage of paste-likematerial into the head 16. A threaded collar 78 is secured to the bottomof platform 66 in any convenient manner and provides means for threadedattachment of the head 16 thereto by means of internally threadedmounting collar 80 suitably secured to the top plate 82 of head 16. Aswill be better seen by having reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the head 16 iscomposed of a shallow horizontally disposed chamber closed at its lowersurface with a shower head member 84 having downwardly projectingtherefrom a plurality of individual spouts or nozzles 86 having orifices5 96. The nozzles 86 are preferably disposed at uniformly spacedintervals about the circumference of a plurality of circles of regularlydecreasing diameter. The difference between successfully decreasingradii is about the circumferential spacing of the individual spouts 86in any given ring. In the embodiment shown there are provided sevenconcentric rings 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, and 94. Ring 94 contains 40spouts uniformly spaced thereabout having a length of 1 inch and an ID.orifice of 0.l25 inch. Ring 93 contains 34 spouts; ring 92, 28; ring 91,22; ring 90, ring 89, nine; and ring 88, three. It should also be notedthat in the particular embodiment shown the internal diameter of thespouts 86 in the ring 88 is 0.065 inch. The internal diameter of thespouts in each succeeding ring increases about 0.010 inch so that theinternal diameter of the spouts in the ring 94 is 0.125 inch. This is toaccount for the fact that the pressure imposed upon the pasteimmediately opposite the pump entrance is greater at the center than itis at the outer periphery of the head, the paste material undergoing apressure drop as the distance from the center increases. In order tomore nearly equalize the the quantity of paste distributed from eachnozzle 86, it is necessary to increase the diameter of the orifice 96.The foregoing dimensions are cited as indicative of those useful for astandard tomato paste for pizza filling.

It is also desired to take advantage of the capillary forces existingbetween a column of paste material and the surface of a given spout 86to minimize dripping after the expression of a charge of predeterminedsize. To achieve this end, the axial length of the spouts 86 is adjustedwith relation to the hydrostatic head of paste-like material within thebody of the distributing head assembly 16 so that dripping issubstantially entirely eliminated, i.e., the forces on the liquid (e.g., capillary force, viscosity, etc.) in the tubes exceed thehydrostatic head forces imposed by the length of column of fluid. Tothis end, the spouts 86 project through the spout holder plate 98 intothe cavity within the head 16 such that the hydrostatic head is reducedto a minimum without interferring with the flow and distribution ofmaterial to the outer periphery of the distributing head 16 and itspositive expulsion through the orifices 96 in the spouts 86. While itmay appear that stationary bodies of paste may be formed within thehead, it should be borne in mind that the equipment is washedperiodically. About 1 inch of tube length has been found useful with aconventional pizza pie tomato paste. In order to prevent dripping oftomato paste of the type used for filling pizza pie shells, the lengthof the spouts 86 should exceed the vertical hydrostatic head within thedistributor head 16 and be several times the diameter of the orifice orID. of the opening. The particular dimensions, of course, depend on theparticular paste foodstuff employed.

Although the embodiment shown in the annexed drawings is a preferredembodiment of the invention, it is clear that other modes of achievingthe desired objectives of nondrip as well as adequate shell surfacecoverage may be employed.

THE PASTE-DISPENSING PUMP Referring now more particularly to FIG. 5,there is here shown on an enlarged scale a cross-sectional view of avariable stroke single-acting paste dispensing pump useful in accordancewith the present invention. Accordingly, there is provided a flangedbase having integral therewith mounting flange 72 suitably drilled as at112 for mounting in abutting relation with the base 66 of vessel 18(FIG. 2). A suitable sealing ring such as O-ring 114 is provided forsealing the interface between the base 110 and the platform 66. There isalso provided a valve body 116 suitably tapped for fastening to the base110 by means of bolts such as bolt 118. The valve body 116 is suitablydrilled to provide an axial bore 120 for receipt of the proximalextremity of a piston/cylinder assembly generally indicated at 122 andcomposed of a cylinder 124 having slidably movable therein paste pumpingpiston 126 carried on the distal extremity of a piston rod 128. Thepiston 126 includes a pair of opposed elastomeric ring seal members 130and 132 adapted for sliding and sealing engagement with the internalsurface of cylinder 124. Retaining plates 134 and 136 coact between thepiston rod 128 and a piston body 138 to secure the seals 130 and 132 tothe rod 128. Retaining plate 136 is held in abutting relation against ashoulder 140 on rod 128 through the action of a nut 142 bearing againstretaining plate 134 and piston body 138. The distal extremity 144 ofpiston rod 128 is suitably threaded to receive the nut 142.

The proximal extremity 146 of rod 128 is provided with a driving piston148 suitably fixed thereto as by means of snap ring 150 coacting betweenthe proximal extremity 146 of piston rod 128 and a retaining collar 152.The driving piston 148 is held in abutting relation with shoulder 154 bymeans of the snap ring 150 and the collar 152. An extension of thecylinder body 124 defines an isolated fluid motor drive chamber closedat its outer extremity by means of end closure 162 and at its innerextremity by an internal, fixed end closure 164. The fixed end closure164 is held in position intermediate the ends of the cylinder body 124by means of locking rings 166 and 168 coacting in circumferentialrecesses 170 and 172, respectively, in the internal wall of cylinder124. The fixed end closure 164 is suitably sealed with an O-ring 174 insealing relation between the internal sidewall of the cylinder 124 andthe fixed closure 164. The end closure 164 is provided with an axiallyextending bore 176 dimensioned for sliding coaction with the piston rod128. A suitable bushing 178 and suitable ring seals such as seals 180and 182 permit axial movement of the rod 128 and effectively seal thechamber 160 from an auxiliary chamber or trap chamber 184. In order toprevent leakage of compressed air past the driving piston 148, there isprovided a peripheral seal 186 coacting between the piston 148 and thesidewall of cylinder 124.

The internal fixed end closure 164 for the fluid motor chamber 160 isprovided with a radial port 188 which communicates with an axiallyextending bore 190 communicating between the radial port 188 and thechamber 160. In like manner, the end closure 162 is provided with anaxially extending bore 192 communicating with a radially extending port194. Tapped holes 196 and 198 extend through the sidewall of cylinder124 for threaded attachment of compressed air lines adapted to transportair under pressure into and out of chamber 160, thereby effectingmovement of driving piston 148 in a programmed reciprocal fashion withinfluid motor chamber 160.

As indicated above, stroke adjusting means are provided and include athreaded adjusting pin 62 extending through the outer end closure 162for abutting enga'gement with the proximal extremity 146 of the pistonrod 128. Lock nut 200 coacts between the threads of stroke adjusting pin62 and a lock washer 202 to fix the penetration of the abutment face 204into chamber 160. As indicated above, indexing means are provided to aidin setting the penetration of abutment face 204, thereby regulating thesize of the charge to be expelled through distributing head 16. The endclosure 162 for chamber 160 is held in position by means of retainingring 206 coacting between the closure 162 and a recess 208 in thesidewall 156. A suitable ring seal such as O- ring 210 confinescompressed air within the chamber 160. In one specific embodiment of thevariable stroke pump illustrated in FIG. 5, the maximum stroke is 3%inches and the minimum stroke is 1%.

Where compressed air is used as the fluid under pressure forreciprocably moving driving piston 148 within chamber 160, a problem maybe encountered with gasentrained oil from the compressor. To ensureagainst contamination of the paste material being dispensed by suchgas-entrained oil, there is provided an auxiliary fixed bulkhead 212fixedly retained within the cylinder 124 by means of retaining rings 214and 216 coacting in circumferential recesses 218 and 220, respectively.When utilized, the fixed bulkhead 212 also serves as the inner endclosure for the pumping chamber 226. Again, suitable ring seals 222 and224 are provided to effect a seal between the sliding piston rod 128 andthe fixed bulkhead 212. The fixed bulkhead 212 and the fixed plug 164define a fixed volume auxiliary chamber 184 which serves to trap any oilwhich may escape past the O-ring 174 and past the seals 180 and 182.

A variable chamber 226 is therefore provided between the valve body 1 16and the movable paste pump-.

ing piston body 138. Movement of the piston 138 within the chamber 226causes valves within the valve body 116 to be actuated so as to fillchamber 226 and then dispense paste-like fluid in measured quantity.Accordingly, the valve body 116 is provided with a singleactingspherical inlet valve 228 adapted to seat against the valve seat 230 andbeing biased in a normally closed position by means of a spring 232. Thespring 232 coacts between the valve 228 and a removable spring retainingsleeve 234 suitably threadably engaged in valve bore 236 in valve body116. An inlet 238 to the valve bore 236 communicates between porting 240suitably drilled within the base 110 and the valve bore 236. It willthus be seen that actuation of the paste pumping piston body 138 in anupward direction by means of the fluid motor at the proximal extremityof the piston rod 128 will cause the valve 228 to be unseated from thevalve seat 230, overcoming the bias of the spring 232 and permittingfluid, e.g., paste-like material, to flow through the porting 240 intothe inlet 238 past the valve seat 230 and into the valve bore 236 forentrance into the chamber 226 through the opening 242. Reversal of themovement of the piston 138, then, causes reseating of the valve 228 uponthe valve seat 230, preventing escape of the fluid now in pumpingchamber 226 therethrough.

In an oppositely acting manner, the valve body 116 is provided with adischarge opening 244 leading to a valve chamber 246. There is provideda valve 248 also spherical in shape adapted for seating coaction againstvalve seat 250 at the inner end of opening 224. Valve 248 is biased in anormally closed position by means of spring 252 coacting between thevalve 248 and a spring retaining sleeve 254. Sleeve 254 extends into thevalve chamber 246 and is threadedly engaged with the valve I body 116.The sleeve 254 having an opening 256 at the outer end thereofcommunicates with suitable fluid conducting openings 258 and 260 withinthe base 110.

Thus, when the paste pumping piston head 138 is moved in a dispensingdirection (downwardly in FIG. spherical valve 228 is seated, blockingflow through the valve bore 236, and the valve 248 is unseated fromvalve seat 250, overcoming the bias of spring 252 and allowing fluid toby-pass the valve 248 into the sleeve 254 for expulsion through theopening 256 and through the base 110 which communicates as aboveindicated with the distributing head 16. It may be found desirable inpractice to inhibit dripping of paste material by moving piston head 126slightly in a reverse direction to impose a negative pressure on thepaste retained in the head 16.

In order to protect the fluid motor inlet and exhaust lines (not shown),an auxiliary shell 262 sealed or otherwise bonded to the base 110 andseated on shoulder 264 is provided. The auxiliary shell 262 is desirablycoextensive in length with the pump body and serves as a coffer dam toisolate the pump from the surrounding paste-like material contained invessel 18 (FIG. 2).

THE CHEESE GRATING STATION FIGS. 6 and 7 show a cheese grating apparatuscharacterized by a cheese holder 270 conveniently although notessentially compartmented by dividers, e.g., dividers 272, 274, 276, and278, formed conveniently of plastic materials such aspolymethylmethacrylate or Plexiglass. The multichambered holder 270 isconveniently mounted on a plate 280 which is in turn mounted for slidingcoaction on guide bars 282 and 284 conveniently supported from theframework 11 of the conveyor 10. Reciprocating movement of the plate 280is achieved by means of a pneumatic motor 286 having one end (not shown)secured to a bracket which is in turn mounted on the framework 11 of theconveyor 10 and a projecting rod 288 for engagement with block 290integral with the plate 280. Supported from the framework 11 of theconveyor 10 by means of side rail such as side rail 292 is a stationarygrate 294 having a plurality of upstanding cusps 296 projecting upwardlytherefrom for interception with the cheese bricks, e.g., cheese brick298. The surface of the grate 294 and the bottom of the holder 270define a substantially horizontal interface along which relativemovement occurs. The grate 294 is desirably removable from the framework for cleaning purposes and is accordingly removably disposed in arecess 300 a horizontally disposed plate 302 carried by the side rails292. Plate 302 is continuous and coplanar with the plane of the insert294, a leading planar extension 304, and a trailing extension 306thereof serving to retain the cheese blocks within the holder 270 whenthe position of the holder 270 is at the extremities of the path ofrelative movement where the cheese blocks 298 are out of contact withthe grate 294. In underlying relation with the grate 294 and suitablysecured to the extensions 304 and 306, there is provided a funnel-formcircular chute 308 configured for confining the distribution of thegrated cheese to a circular pattern such as illustrated in FIG. 6wherein pizza shell 310 is shown in underlying indexed positiontherebelow. Chute 308 may be exchanged for varying diameter chutes ordifferent configurations, e.g., square, if desired.

It has also been found that means for providing an upward incline to thegrate 294 by slightly elevating the trailing edge thereof aids in theefficiency with which cheese is removed from the lower end of the block298. To this end, an adjusting screw 312 may be provided to impose avery slight incline on the grate 294. It has also been found desirablealthough not essential to provide a rotating brush along the trailingedge of the plate 280 for clockwise rotation and extending across thewidest extension of the cusps 296 in the removable grate 294. Whencheese is grated in the manner indicated above, a very slight hooked lipis formed in the cheese strand which overlaps and hooks upon the topmostportion of the cusps 296. If a brush 314 of the type above described isemployed, the tendency of strands of grated cheese to become hooked andsuspended from the cusps 296 is minimized and the uniformity ofdistribution on the shells, e.g., shell 310, is improved.

Movement of the holder 270 on the slideways 282 and 284 by means of thepneumatic motor 286 is sequenced in such a way that movement thereof isprevented until a pastry shell, such as pastry shell 310, is properlystationarily located under the chute 308. Thereafter, the holder movessubstantially horizontally across the stationary grate 294 toward andonto the planar trailing extension 306 whereby cheese is shredded fromthe bricks 298 passing through the perforations of the cusps 296 andfalls through the chute 308 in confined manner onto the circular surfaceof the shell 310. Upon completion of the cycle, the holder 270 isreturned to the original position such as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 abovethe planar leading extension 304 to await a signal to repeat the gratingoperation.

THE SLICED SAUSAGE APPLYING STATION Following the application of thegrated cheese, the shells, e.g., shell 310, are indexed to a positionfor receiving sausage slices. The sausage filling station 47 isdiagrammatically and schematically shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. There isprovided a sausage holder 320 conveniently formed of a plurality ofupstanding clear plastic tubes open at each end, e.g., tubes 322,disposed in a hexagonal pattern or array such as best shown in FIG. 9.The tubes are supported in a stationary holder 324, the location ofwhich relative to indexing belt 10 is adjustable as by means ofelongated slots 323, stud bolts 325, and wing nuts 327. The stationaryholder 324 is provided with a transverse horizontally disposed slot 326in which is translatably mounted an apertured sausage gripping plate328. The gripping plate 328 comprises holes 330 bored therethroughcorresponding to the array of sausage tubes 322 and having on thetrailing edge thereof serations 332 for limited penetration into thesausage shaft, e.g., shaft 334 in FIG. 8. To effect transverse movementof the gripping plate 328, it is convenient to provide a flange member336 for engagement with the distal extremity of piston rods 338extending from pneumatic motors 340 of relatively short stroke. It hasbeen found desirable in handling sausage meat in the manner hereindescribed to provide a gripping means against retrograde movement duringslicing to restrict the tendency of the sausage shaft to rise in thetubes 322 during the slicing operation. Reverse movement of the grippingplate 328 allows the sausage shafts, such as shaft 334, to fall bygravity to a resting position on a translatable deck 342 which isnormally in underlying position beneath the array of tubes 322.

In order to provide the slices of sausage meat, there is provided amovable slicing assembly mounted for reciprocal movement along the guiderods 282 and 284 which, as previously indicated in connection with thediscussion of FIG. 7, are stationarily supported from the framework ofconveyor 10. There is provided a table body 344 which is continuous withthe translatable deck 342 and upon which is mounted a motor 346 fordriving a circular knife 348 by means of a belt 350 coacting between adrive pulley 352 and a driven pulley 354. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 8 and 9, the periphery of the knife wheel 348 is a tapered edgedefining an included angle of from to 10 and is driven at a peripheralspeed of 10 feet per second or more. The translatable deck 342 movesalong the guide rods 282 and 284 with the table 344, whereby the lowerends of the sausages slide in supported relation upon the deck 342 whenit is translated. A slit 356 of semicircular configuration in the table344 enables the slices of sausage to escape through the table 344 and bymeans of guide chute 358 to be deposited in predeter- 1 mined patterncorresponding to the array upon the surface of the pastry shell, e.g.,shell 360. The chute 358 preferably includes a semicircular downwardlysloped has not been found essential, it may be found convenient toperforate the surface of the sloped chute portion 362 through which topass air under a slight positive pressure to provide an air cushion andthereby reduce the sliding resistance of the individual slices intraversing the chute portion 362. In general, the maximum size of pizzashells currently produced is 14 inches and the smallest, approximately 6inches, with intermediate sizes. To accommodate the smaller sizes, it isonly necessary to limit the tubes 322 which are filled with the sausagemeat.

Accordingly, at this station when a partially filled pizza shell, e.g.,shell 360, is in position beneath the columnar sausage tubes 322, apneumatic motor, for example pneumatic motor 366, is actuated, forcingthe piston rod 368 outwardly therefrom to drive against the abutment 370and effect movement of the motor/knife assembly into slicing relationwith the sausages supported on translatable deck 342. The sausages areheld against elevation due to the slicing action from a rotating knife348 by means of gripping plate 328 actuated by air motors 340 in timedsequence with the movement of table 344. After the knife has traversedthe entire array of tubes 322, it is pneumatically retracted to theoriginal position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 and to await a signal thatanother pizza shell is in position to receive the sliced sausage meat.

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 9 inclusive and including the individualstations herein described is capable of producing filled pizza shellswith fillings of tomato paste, grated cheese, and pepperoni at a ratewhich approaches 1,800 per hour. This can be accomplished withrelatively few attendants whose principal occupation will be to maintainthe cheese holders 270 filled with brick cheese and the pepperoni tubes322 filled with sausage meat. Another attendant will receive partiallybaked pizza shells from a source thereof and, using the locator 12 forproper placement, deposit the shell on the conveyor belt 10 while it isstationary. After completion of the filling operations at the successivestations, the filled shells are then picked up by a third operator forfurther processing, e.g., packaging and/or freezing.

Although the invention has been described in reference to the productionof filled pizza shells, it will be understood that one, some, or all ofthe stations described may be used in various arrangements. For example,in chocolate creme pie filling, a pie shell may be first filled withchocolate creme from the paste dispensing apparatus herein described andsecondly topped with grated coconut. The sausage slicing apparatus isreadily adapted to slicing vegetables or fruit, e.g., bananas fortopping banana creme pie. Thus, various combinations of the individualstations with the indexing conveyor assembly may be made as a givenpastry product may require.

What is claimed is:

l. Grated foodstuff dispensing means comprising in combination:

a. means for holding a gratable foodstuff;

b. a grate having a leading edge and a trailing edge ,and relativelytranslatable with respect to saidholding means;

c. means for relatively translating said grate and said holding means toand fro along a substantially horizontal interface; and

d. means for upwardly inclining thetrailing edge of said grate.

2. Grated foodstuff dispensing means in accordance with claim 1 whereinthe holding means comprises a plurality of vertically disposedcontiguous chambers, each open at each end.

3. Grated foodstuff dispensing means in accordance with claim 1 whereinthe holding means are slidably mounted on guide bars and the grate isstationarily mounted relative to said holding means.

4. Grated foodstuff dispensing means in accordance with claim 1 whereinthe grate is removably mounted in a stationary table having extendedleading and trailing planar surfaces for underlying, respectively, theholding means at the beginning and the end of said interface.

1. Grated foodstuff dispensing means comprising in combination: a. meansfor holding a gratable foodstuff; b. a grate having a leading edge and atrailing edge and relatively translatable with respect to said holdingmeans; c. means for relatively translating said grate and said holdingmeans to and fro along a substantially horizontal interface; and d.means for upwardly inclining the trailing edge of said grate.
 2. Gratedfoodstuff dispensing means in accordance with claim 1 wherein theholding means comprises a plurality of vertically disposed contiguouschambers, each open at each end.
 3. Grated foodstuff dispensing means inaccordance with claim 1 wherein the holding means are slidably mountedon guide bars and the grate is stationarily mounted relative to saidholding means.
 4. Grated foodstuff dispensing means in accordance withclaim 1 wherein the grate is removably mounted in a stationary tablehaving extended leading and trailing planar surfaces for underlying,respectively, the holding means at the beginning and the end of saidinterface.